'Indian tourists spent nearly USD 12 billion in US in 2015'

Over 1 million Indian tourists have spent a whopping USD 12 billion in the US in 2015, a tourism industry official has said here.

"Those 1.12 million Indian visitors spent nearly USD 12 billion dollars in the US in 2015 and that ranks seven as far as a source market in spend. Our Indian friends when they come, they stay longer and they spend more than on the average of a lot of our international visitors," Chris Thompson, CEO and president of Brand USA, told PTI.

Brand USA launched a digital campaign to attract Indians to the US, not withstanding the fact that recent surge in hate crimes in the US could have an adverse impact on Indians travelling to the US this year.

Thompson said it is too early to arrive at a definite conclusion.

On an average, international visitor spend around USD 4,500.

"I know the amount Indians spend is higher than that," Thompson said.

As per available statistics, Indians on an average spend more than USD 7,000 per visit to the US and stay in the country on an average for over 35 nights.

Incidentally, Chinese visitors spend (USD 7,486) and stay for over 37 nights, according to a recent report of the International Trade Administration of the US Department of Commerce.